Malaysia

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s three-day trip to Sri Lanka might be important from a diplomatic point of view, but certain parties will expect human rights issues to be raised with the Sri Lankan leaders. Najib is on an official visit to Sri Lanka with some of his cabinet ministers, like the Health Minister, Dr S Subramaniam, Minister in the Prime Minister's…

The Malaysian consulate in Chennai has come under heavy police protection after a large crowd gathered outside the premise to protest Malaysia’s move to bar popular politician V Gopalasamy from entering the country today. Better known as Vaiko, the 73-year-old founder of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) party in Tamil Nadu was stopped by…

I can understand why questions on Sri Lanka were avoided or not asked when Rahul was in Singapore. But surely, when he was in Kuala Lumpur, someone in the audience could have raised questions about the massacre of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka. Even if Gandhi or the Indian National Congress then was not responsible, surely there were close ties between the…

MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday alleged that the Sri Lankan government was behind the decision of the Malaysian government denying him entry into the country. “I participated in the International Tamil Conference in Penang in 2014-15 and we adopted a resolution that Sri Lanka should be tried in the International Court of Justice for its atrocities…

The prosecution's application to transfer a case involving Sri Lanka's High Commissioner from the Sepang Sessions Court to Kuala Lumpur was dismissed by the High Court here Thursday. The application was reportedly made because High Commissioner Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, one of the prosecution witnesses, feared for his safety if he had to testify in Sepang. Three men…

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Malaysia today to end the prosecution of activist Lena Hendry for illegally screening a documentary on war crimes in Sri Lanka. The global human rights group said criminalising the screening of films without government approval imposed a “disproportionate” burden on the right to freedom of expression. “Prosecuting Lena…

while we do not condone acts of violence against anybody, but the assault against Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, had a background. According to reliable sources, when some Tamil youths approached Ibrahim at the KL international airport (KLIA) and asked about the whereabouts of Rajapaksa, he apparently replied: “We will wipe out the…

Five people have been arrested over the alleged assault on Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Ibrahim Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Selangor CID chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah confirmed the arrests but declined to divulge the details of the five individuals. The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the…

In 2012 the government of Najib Razak was quite generous in giving out donations to many NGOs in the country including the Indian ones. Whether this generosity had anything to do with the funds amounting to RM2.6 billion that he received in his private accounts is yet to be established. However some reliable sources indicate that it was quite likely that donations to…

Activist Lena Hendry Rasathi Hendry was freed by the magistrate's court without having her defence called over her uncensored Sri Lanka genocide documentary screening three years ago. In delivering his verdict, magistrate Mohd Rehan Mohd Aris said the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused. "After considering the evidence presented…

The trial against activist Lena Hendry continued today, with her lawyer positing that the compact disc (CD) seized by the authorities during a raid on the film screening two years ago is not that of the contentious film. Lena is charged with screening a documentary on ethnic cleansing in Sri Lanka at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, without the…

United Nations should probe the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, Second Deputy Chief Minister, Penang, Malaysia, P. Ramasamy, said in Coimbatore on Sunday. Addressing journalists at the airport, he said that whether or nor India supported such a move, countries around the world must come forward to urge the UN to conduct a probe as that would bring out the truth. …

“The area was where the first generation of Jaffna (Sri Lankan) Tamil community in Malaya settled. Many of them were government clerks staying at the Hundred Quarters. Further away, where KL Sentral and Brickfields Asia College are now situated, stood rows of government quarters for Indian civil servants back then. “They sweated blood to build these…

Sleuths in the Chennai office of National Investigation agency are reworking their strategy to extradite terror suspect Mohammed Hussein, a Sri Lankan national arrested in Kuala Lumpur in May this year for plotting terror strikes in India. “The Malaysian government handed him over to authorities in Colombo last week rejecting our request to extradite him to…

The Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, which met at the Malaysian Parliament early this week to take stock of the progress of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the condition of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Malaysia resolved to meet the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to discuss the Tamil issue and the treatment of Muslims in the…

Malaysian authorities are on the hunt for more members of the outlawed LTTE after a crackdown on the Tamil militant group led to the arrest of seven persons in the last two months in the country. Four suspected Tamil Tigers, including a man allegedly involved in the 1999 assassination attempt on the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, were arrested on…

The recent arrest and deportation from Malaysia of three Sri Lankan Tamils on U.N. refugee status, under suspicion of trying to revive the disbanded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has raised questions about regional security and minority politics. For many, disputes over the South China Sea and the proliferation of Islamic terror networks are the defining…

The UN says it is concerned at Malaysia's deportation of three men accused of trying to revive the Tamil Tiger rebel group to Sri Lanka. The UN's refugee agency said two of the men were refugees and another was seeking asylum. It warned that they were now at risk of "serious harm".

The authorities in Sri Lanka are tough on perceived insults to Buddhism, the religion of the island's majority Sinhalese, and particularly sensitive about images of Buddha.Thailand has threatened to crackdown on tourists having religious images tattooed on their bodies while on holiday, saying the trend is culturally inappropriate and erodes respect for religion.…

Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy will take his fight for Sri Lankan Tamils to Britain at the end of this month with a paper he will present at a conference organised by the British Tamils Forum (BTF). He told FMT he would speak on “structural genocide” in Sri Lanka as his contribution to the international conference, which will focus on the allegation that…

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said his participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka is out respect for the body. He said his participation would help him and the country to share views with the Commonwealth body. "This is about the Commonwealth, coincidentally Sri Lanka is the host," he said in response to some…

A 69-year-old political contributor for a local Tamil newspaper was beaten up twice within 24 hours, allegedly by individuals who were unhappy with his articles. S. Muthukrishnan was first assaulted near his home in Buntong here by three men on 8pm on Monday, and again at 4.30pm on Tuesday. In the first incident, Muthukrishnan said he was confronted by three men…

Westports Holdings Bhd has confirmed that it is keen to participate in the Hayleys PLC-led consortium bidding to complete the construction of Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal in Sri Lanka.“Westports had submitted an expression of interest to participate in the consortium bidding for Colombo Port’s new terminal as reported and the consortium bidding is an…

Several political parties and Indian non-governmental organisations have threatened to hold demonstrations if the Government allows Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena to make a visit to the country. Johor PKR vice-chairman Rony Murugan expressed his dismay over the Sirisena's scheduled visit here, adding that the Government should take into consideration the…

TWO men claimed trial in Malaysia on Friday to charges of rioting and causing injury after they were nabbed over the assault of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the country. A report on The Star said the two – businessman A. Kalaimughilan, 26, and taxi driver V. Balamurugan, 32, both from Sungai Siput, a small township in the northern state of Perak – were…

Malaysia must make its membership in the UN Security Council (UNSC) worthwhile by lobbying for a Resolution to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes of aggression, genocide and crimes against humanity, said Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto in a statement. She reminded the war crimes arise from the bloody massacre of over 200,000…

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy has warned the Malaysian Government there are already protests by local Tamil groups against former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa being invited to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Government is being totally insensitive and uncaring towards the tragic plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, added Ramasamy.…

Indonesia has vowed to provide humanitarian assistance to 43 Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka stranded in Aceh and connect them with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), having permitted them to come ashore after a week of attempting to force them back out to sea. “UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration [IOM] will further assist us…

Crime Prevention Network Association (NPNA) President Alex Chandran Krishnan said such a move would not only help fill-up vacant posts but contribute to the professionalism of security guards in general. While agreeing that vacancies in the security services sector need to be filled, recruiting former Sri Lankan soldiers, invariably, Sinhalese, into the country might…

The Penang international forum on human rights violations hopes to raise the matter of the OISL Report and serious concerns of the crimes against human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Some of the speakers would be able to critically examine the implications of a purely domestic inquiry and to what extent it will address questions of truth, justice and reconciliation…

The Malaysian authorities should end their prosecution of a local activist for her role in showing a documentary film without censorship board approval, Human Rights Watch said today. Malaysia’s Federal Court will hear Lena Hendry’s challenge to the constitutionality of the Film Censorship Act on September 14, 2015. Hendry, a staff member of the human rights…

Malaysia has reportedly deported a Sri Lankan national arrested in Kuala Lumpur for an alleged conspiracy to carry out terror attacks on the American and Israeli consulates in South India to Sri Lanka, ignoring New Delhi's extradition request. India, according to the Colombo Page web site, had sought the extradition of Mohammad Hussain Mohammad Sulaiman, a…

Umno today signed two memoranda of understanding to foster closer relationships with North Korean and Sri Lankan political parties here today. Its Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor signed the MoUs on behalf of Umno with Workers' Party of North Korea (WPK) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) on the sidelines of the Umno General Assembly 2014…

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has signed an investment agreement with KLS Energy Sdn Bhd, KLS Energy Sri Lanka Sdn Bhd and KLS Energy Lanka (Private) Ltd over the 35 megawatt renewable energy hybrid wind and solar power project in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. TNB in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today said it had been invited by KLS Energy to acquire a stake in its wholly-owned…

Malaysian police on Friday said they have arrested four more suspected Tamil Tiger separatists, including a man allegedly involved in the attempted assassination of a former Sri Lankan president. The arrests come after three Sri Lankans, including two refugees, were deported in May amid a crackdown on suspected militants, prompting criticism from the United Nations…

Over four years since the hub strategy was articulated, strong progress has been made on setting up the infrastructure, but much of the foreign investments have not been in to these hubs – they have largely been in tourism and mega property developments in the city of Colombo. If Sri Lanka is to fully harness the power of the mega infrastructure drive, it is clear…

Malaysian police say they have arrested three Sri Lankans accused of trying to revive the Tamil Tiger rebel group. They are accused of raising funds and spreading propaganda for the group. A police spokesman was quoted as saying the suspects were senior operatives and had registered with the UN as refugees to "avoid suspicion". The now defunct Tamil Tigers…

Sri Lanka offers immense opportunities for Malaysian investors, especially in infrastructure development, Malaysia's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Azmi Zainuddin said."Malaysian companies have always been here, even during the war, especially in the telecommunications and infrastructure segment. Now there are more opportunities available and we should take advantage…

A man has been arrested under the Sedition Act for organising a gathering in Kulim, Kedah, on Saturday to mark the birthday of Tamil Tigers chief V Prabhakaran, who was killed by Sri Lankan forces. DAP national vice-chairman M Kulasegaran urged the police to publicly state whether the Liberation of Tamil Tigers (LTTE) was banned in Malaysia. The Ipoh Barat MP quoted…